Heating apparatus



HEATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 8, 1916.

. Patented July 6,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN GOOD, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GOOD INVENTIONS 00., OF

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

HEATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 8, 1916. Serial No. 77,109.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN G001), a citizen York, have invented the following described Improvements in Heating Apparatus.

The invention consists in an orgamza- I tion of elements for burning liquid fuels of low volatility, such as kerosene, low grade gasolene and the so called commercial fuel oils, inponfined spaces of narrow compass and. ofobtaining intense localized combustion. therefrom, whereby the apparatus is adapted for heating the thick; vaporizer plates of large-size oil engines, to start them in action with the least delay, as well as for other purposes where rapid heat development is required but open flames are dangerous or not desired. 1 4

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure -1 is a sectional view of the improved apparatus with the air, fuel and certain appurtenant parts illustrated more or less diagrammatically;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section of one of the burner chambers;

Fig. 3 a cross-section of Fig. 2 on line III-III thereof, and

' Fig. 4 a preferred and modified form.

The apparatus of Fig. 1 comprises two burnerheads 1, convergently and symmetrically connected to a tube 2 constituting a flame casing and mixing space, theupper end of which constitutes or opens into a heat transfer chamber 3. In the present case this chamber is a bowl-form space be-.

tween the .exterior surface of the hot plate '4 of'an oil engine and asurrounding wall 5 made of heat-insulating materlal, the out let from the chamber being by way of two pipes 6 which lead tbtheexhaust pipe ofthe engine or to some other point of safe discharge. Oil engines having hot plate Vaporizers such as here indicated are well known in the art' and do not require description. Their vaporizer plates require to be heated in order to start the combustion cycle, an operation which has heretofore and generally been accomplished by directing the flame of a blow lamp against it in the open air of the engine room..- According to thepresent invention, the plate 4 is completely inclosed by and infact forms part of, the wall of the heat transfer chamber, at least during the heating process, and

the flame and combustion gases move through the tube 2 and chamber 3, under pressure and at high velocity, impinging directly and forcibly on the plate itself, which is placed transverse to the flame casing, as. indicated. The chamber 3 and tube 2 are made of imperforate walls to confine the flame, which is under pressure, as just stated, but at -no time exposed to or visible from the outside of the apparatus. As a consequence of this fact, it will be apparent that risk of fire to surrounding material is minimizedfand that the apparatus is there'- by adapted for use on marine oil engines and in other places where exposed flames are undesirable.

The individual burner heads 1 are two in number in the present case and duplicates of each other, although this is not necessary. I have ascertained that the duplication of relatively small size burners, directing their fuel sprays or flames into a common flame casing such as the tube 2, results in the attainment of higher temperatures than can be efficiently had from a single burner of twice the capacity. More than two of such burners may be thus assembled with a common flame-casing giving a cor-' responding increase of temperature rise. Each burner head is closed at its end-by a cap 7 which is imperforate, save for the. holes in which the spray-producing means, the igniting means and the clean-out plug are located. The fuel spray is produced in the present case by means of oil and air nozzles 8 and 9, mounted in the end cap 7, in atomizing relation and so as to project the spray centrally through the burner casing and toward or into the flame casing. One or all of the spray-producing means are so organized with respect to the velocity and fineness. of the atomization as to produce a spray which will ignite in an initially cold state, for which purpose an electric ignition is used, consisting of two spark plugs 10, each having an electrode 11 intercepting the spray and adapted to spark through it directly in front of the nozzles. The ends of the electrodes are bent upwardly and toward each other, as shown in Fig. 3, whereby the drops of liquid which tend to accumulate on'them are drained away from the spark gap. The screw plug 12 provides access to the-.atomizing nozzles, to clean them if they should clog, but it is normally closed.

Patented July 6,1920.

The liquid fuel for the two nozzles 8 is taken through the pipes 8 from a single fuel supply in the form of a constant level float chamber marked 13, or other equivalent source, connected with a fuel tank 14:, and such supply will of course be understood to be subject to regulation by any suitable means. The air supply for the air nozzles 9, is also taken from a common source through pipe 9 from a' high pressure air tank 21, a shut-off valve and a reducing valve 20 being interposed in the connection, the latter being of ordinary design for the purpose of delivering the air at a constant von all sides with said spray. Such supplemental air is of considerably lower'pressure that that necessary to produce the fuel spray and is taken, for both burners, from a single fan blower 16, which, however, is driven by an air motor 22, operated by the high pressure air in the tank 21, so that in effect only a single source of air pressure is required to operate the apparatus.

blower 16 is shown connected to the end of the rotor shaft of the air motor, and the magneto generator 24, which supplies the current for the spark plugs, is also driven by the same shaft, but it will be understood that these parts are susceptible of different andcompact arrangement so as to provide an operating system of small compass. The fan blower and its driving motor are indicated as of ordinary construction,'common in the art, and in this case merely represent a means whereby air or fluid at relatively high pressure may be utilized to createan inflow of combustion-supporting air from atmosphere in relatively large volume and at a lower pressure.

. In order to improve the mixing action of the supplemental air with the burning fuel spray, a longitudinal .partition member 17 in the form of a star or spider, as indicated in Fig. 8, is introduced at the center of the air-admission chamber 15, so that its wings or walls are parallel with the direction of the spray. This member is held in place by the cap 7 on one side and by the fitting 18 on the other, which fitting forms the connec tion between the burner chamber and the flame casing, the three parts being appropriately secured to each other b screws or bolts, not indicated in the drawing.

By virtue of the introduction of the com- The fan bustion-supporting air at a point immediately in advance of the spark gap, or where it does not dilute the spray at that point but is yet close to the point of ignition,vcomplete combustion is attained in the confined 7o flame-passage without producing explosions or explosive mixtures at the spark, and ignition can be produced with low current values with reliabilit and certainty of action. The several urner heads deliver fuel and air into the common combustion passage in'explosive proportions in the latter butnot in the condition of an explosive mixture, and preferably each burner-head is so operated as to deliver like proportions of fuel and air, so that all of the burnerheads are identical in operationif not in structure. 1

It will be observed that by opening the valve 25 (the motor valve 23 being open) the compressed air stored in the tank 21 will simultaneously actuate the spray-producing means and start the b. ver 16 and generator 24 in operation, thereby producing a spray in one or more of the burners, which is instantly ignited, even though cold, by the electric spark, while the low pressure air from the fan blower 16 supplies the addi- .tional oxygen necessary for the continued combustion of the ignited spray. The resulting flames meet at high velocity in the flame casing, moving with impingement upon the vaporizer plate 4 and thence passing off to the exhaust.

The junction between each burner and 0 the flame-casing is desirably formed by a single part, such as 18, giving a convergently tapered communication to the. easing and correspondingly increasing the velocity of the flame gases, which expedites the mixture of the fuel and air in the flame casing.

In the modified form of Fig. 4, the junction fitting 18 18 corresponding to the part 18 of Fig. 1, is formed as a Venturi tube,or rather as a compound Venturi tube, that is to say the walls of the short con-' verging portions from each burner. chamber unite at a point, 16, of least diameter and cross-sectional area, from which )Oll'lt on, the cross-sectional area gradually increases, according to the principle of Venturi tubes, the upper and'wider part 18 of said fitting being connected directly to the heat-transfer space 3 without the intervention .of the straight-walled tube 2, shown in Fig. 1. The flame casin in this case is constituted by the Ventur1 tube and. by virtue of the peculiarities of its action a thorough mixing of fuel and air is accomplished in an exceedingly compact space.

The burner chambers in Fig. 4; are shown the same as in Fig. 1, and similarly marked, and will be understood as representing the preferred form of spray-producing device ity of closed forced draft burners each comair under pressure, air operated spray nozprising a fuel and air mixing space, a connectionto each said space for admitting air under pressure in distributed relation to a fuel spray in said space, means for spraying liquid fuel into each of said spaces, one of said burners containing an electric igniter disposed in a part of the fuel spray therein which is relatively undiluted with air, in combination with a single source of air pressure for said air connections and means for simultaneously supplying air therethrough to all saidmixing spaces and coin cidently actuating said spray means and igniter.

2. Inclosed liquid fuel combustion apparatus, comprising a flame passage entirely closedto atmosphere at its fuel receiving end and at such end connected with a plurality of closed forced draft burners, each comprising a fuel and air mixing space, a

connection-to each said space for admitting zles for spraying liquid fuelinto each of said spaces to form a mixture of explosive proportions therein, and a common supply chamber for the liquid fuel associated with said spray nozzles, in. combination with a single source of air pressure for said. air connections and means for simultaneously supplying air to all said connections and said spraying means and coincidently energizing s'aid igniter. A,

3. Inclosed liquid fuel combustion apparatus comprising a flame passage entirely closed to atmosphere at its fuel receiving end and at such end provided with a plurality of closed forced draft burners symmetrically arranged with respect to said flame passage and each comprising a fuel and air mixing space, a connection to each said space for admitting air under pressure, means for spraying liquid fuel into each-said space,

' one of said burners containing an electric igniter disposed in apart of the fuel spray therein which is relatively undiluted with air from the air connection, in combination with a single source of air pressure for all said air connections, and means for simul-' taneously supplying air therethrough to all said mixingspaces and coincidently actuating said spray means and igniter.

4. Liquid fuel combustion apparatus comrisin a fluid ressure source and means operated thereby for spraying liquid fuel and another means operated thereby for supplying the spray with air in quantity to complete combustion thereof, an igniter for said spray, and electrical means also operated by the fluid pressure from said source, for rendering said igniter active, all of said means being combined and organized for simultaneous operation by said pressure source.

5. Liquid fuel combustion apparatus comprising a fluid pressure source having con* nection for directly atomizing liquid fuel bysaid pressure fluid and adapted also to produce a supply of air from the atmosphere and under pressure to support combustion of said atomized fuel, and an igniter for said spray combined and organized to be energized automaticall and simultaneously with the discharge of fir 6. In inclosed liquid fuel combustion apparatus, the combination of a plurality of burner heads each delivering a mixture 1n explosive proportions of liquid fuel and air, a flame space formed in part by the object to be heated, and connecting passages converging from each burner head to said flame space. v

7. In inclosed liquid fuel combustion apparatus, the combination of a plurality ofburner heads, each delivering a mixture in explosive proportions of fuel and. air and connected to a flamepassage of less crosssectional area than the combined areas of the outlet from each burner head.

8. Heating apparatus comprising a flame passage containing fluid-pressure means for producing an atomized liquid fuel spray therein, an electric igniter in the path of said spray, means for admitting combustionsupporting air into contact with said spray at a point Where such air does not dilute the spray at its point of ignition, a fluidpressure supply for said atomizing means, and means operated by said fluid pressure for supplying the combustion supporting air to said spray. r r 9. Heating apparatus comprising, in comid from said source.

spray therein, an igniter in said passage intercepting the spray, means for admltting combustion-supporting air to said spray, a

blower for supplying said air, a commonsource of fluidpressure operating said spraying means and blower in predetermined relation, and an electrical device .adapted to operate said igniter also operated b said source of fluid pressure.

10. eating apparatus comprising, in combination, a closedflam e passage, fluid-pressure means for producing a liquid fuel spray therein, an electric spark 'gniter intercepttube and comprising means for projecting airk') and atomized liquid fuel sprays into said tu e.

12. Heating apparatus comprising a plural number of flame-producing devices and a common flame passage therefor consisting of a compound Venturi tube having an individual convergent connection with each device and a single divergent continuation therefrom.

13; Liquid fuel combustion apparatus comprising a closed flame-mixing space plurality of closed flame-producing burner headsconnected thereto, each containing fuel spraying means and provided with an entrance for combustion-supporting air predetermined as to size to produce substantially explosive proportions in said head,

means in each head for distributing such air round'about'the spray, one of said burner heads -being provided with an electric igniter located in a position to intercept the spray therein prior to its dilution with the combustion-supporting air, a liquid fuel receptacle for the burner heads and connected with the spraying means thereof, and means for simultaneously supplying air to all said entrances and for operating said igniter.

14. Liquid-fuel combustion apparatus comprising a combustion space entirely closed to atmosphere except at its exhaust opening, a plurality of closed burner head's connected to said space and constituting the sole means I of entrance thereto of fuel and air, means for supplying air at the same pressure to all said heads, and an electric igniter in one of said heads.

- deliver a plurality of mixtures of fuel and air convergently into said space, eachmixture having the proportions of an explosive mixture, a passage connecting said heads to said space of less cross-sectional area than the aggregate area of the outlets from said heads and means for establishing non-explosive combustion in said space.

17. Liquid fuel combustion apparatus comprising a plurality of closed burner heads each connected to an air source and a liquid fuelsource, and operated by the air flow to produce mixtures of fuel and air in the proportions of an explosive mixture, a common closed combustion space for all said burner heads, the latter being arranged to deliver their respective mixtures convergently into said space and means in one or more of said burner heads for establishing non-explosive combustion in said space.

18. Liquid fuel combustion apparatuscomprising a flame space provided with fluid pressure means for producing an atomized liquid fuel spray, an entrance for admitting combustion-supporting air in distributed relation to said spray and fluid-pressure means for producing a flow of air from atmosphere through said air entrance in proportion to establish complete combustion of the fuel.

19. Liquid fuel combustion apparatus comprising a flame or combustion space pro vided with a fluid pressure nozzle for atomizing liquid fuel, an entrance for distributing air to said spray, a fluid pressure means for producing air flow from atmosphere through said entrance to make a mixture of explosive proportions in said space, and an igniter arranged therein to establish nonexplosive combustion of said mixture.

Intestimony whereof I have signed this specification.

JOHN soon 

